Seller's Legal Pack: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-27
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Gerard P. Craughwell (IND), Labour Panel

The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, is welcome to the House. I think this is the first time I have addressed him since his elevation so I congratulate him on that.
We often speak in this House about the housing crisis. Today we are dealing with a part of that crisis that rarely makes headlines yet it affects every single person trying to buy or sell a home in this country. Our conveyancing system is not just slow; it is fundamentally failing the people it is supposed to serve. The evidence is not vague or anecdotal; it is overwhelming. Four separate surveys between 2020 and 2024 tell the same story. Professionals are frustrated, buyers are stressed, sales are collapsing and families are losing thousands of euro through absolutely no fault of their own. This is not a functioning system; this is a system in need of urgent reform. One third of properties going to the market have legal issues that should have been resolved beforehand, with ten weeks from sale agreed to contract signing, six more weeks to close, with mortgage offers expiring, and people paying for surveys, valuations and legal work on homes that were never sale-ready in the first place. This is not just inefficient; this is unfair. The seller's legal pack is a practical and proven solution. It front-loads the legal work so that only genuinely saleable properties reach the market. It cuts delays and reduces the number of failed sales. It protects buyers from unnecessary costs and it gives sellers clarity and confidence. This is not theory, as the UK experience shows it works. Let us be clear: the public wants this, the professionals want this, the evidence supports this and the only missing piece is political action. That is why this motion calls on the Government to do more than simply consider reform. It calls on the Government to address the issues raised in scrutiny to engage seriously with the IPAV and the Law Society, and bring forward an updated Bill within the lifetime of this Government. If one Bill cannot deliver all the benefits, then let us have multiple Bills. What matters is that we deliver change. People who are trying to buy homes in this country face obstacles and the conveyancing system should not be one of them. We have a clear path to a faster, fairer and more transparent process. The time for voluntary measures is over. The time for decisive legislative action is here and now. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:33+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-27